Heretofore, many techniques have been used in attempts to convert ocean waves to useful applications. Many of these attempts have been directed to the use of the energy of tidal oscillations induced by the motions of the moon and sun. Other schemes have been directed to harnessing wind-generated surface waves and currents, since these comprise most of the total energy budget of the ocean.
Typical examples of such schemes are those disclosed in the following patents:
U.s. pat. No. 3,927,330 to Skorupinski PA1 U.s. pat. No. 3,644,052 to Lininger PA1 U.s. pat. No. 1,811,565 to Schwabacher PA1 U.s. pat. No. 1,649,644 to Alexeeff PA1 U.s. pat. No. 604,211 to Lofgren PA1 U.s. pat. No. 1,474,571 to Wielgolaski PA1 U.s. pat. No. 3,993,913 to Dickman PA1 U.s. pat. No. 924,808 to Mackey PA1 U.s. pat. No. 757,800 to Williams PA1 U.s. pat. No. 3,877,835 to Siptrott
Patents directed to schemes for extracting tidal energy include:
Other wave motor devices are disclosed in:
None of the foregoing devices have met with significant commercial success. All such devices known to the applicant fail in one or more important respects to meet all of the requirements that are desirable for an ocean wave harnessing system. Probably the single greatest deterrent to the commercial acceptance of prior systems has been their marginal efficiency and their undue complexity which seriously degrades their reliability in the hostile environment of the ocean.
In view of the serious need to develop new energy sources in the face of depleting resources of fossil fuels, advancements in the state-of-the-art over the above described devices are required.